Paula Badosa leaps to Carlos Alcaraz’s defence and admits she considered quitting tennis
Paula Badosa has insisted Carlos Alcaraz should be ‘congratulated every day’ after he came under fire following his shock exit at the US Open.
Alcaraz crashed out of the US Open after suffering one of the biggest shocks of all time when he lost to Botic van De Zandschulp.
The world No 3 came into the tournament in New York aiming to make it three grand slams in a row, having triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Yet he could not get past the second round stage as world number 74 Van De Zandschulp produced the result of his life to win 6-1 7-5 6-4 in front of a stunned Arthur Ashe crowd.
Badosa’s own US Open campaign is gathering momentum after she reached the fourth round for the first time after a narrow 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(8) win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse, yet it was Alcaraz’s exit that was a topic in her post-match press conference.
“I woke up this morning and I read all these negative comments because he lost in the second round,” said Badosa of her compatriot Alcaraz.
“I thought ‘he’s just won two Grand Slams and he’s been No 1 in the world’.
“These criticisms surprise me. Everyone is human, everyone can lose in any round. Reading that makes me feel bad but I know that it is part of the job and that is what it is. He should be congratulated every day.”
An honest Badosa also admitted her stunning return to form comes after she considered walking away from tennis earlier this year.
Former world No 2 Badosa has been battling injuries for the last year and more, but she has bounced back in impressive fashion during the American hard court swing in recent weeks.
Now she is a win away from the top 20 of the WTA Rankings after a thrilling victory against Ruse, with her revival coming after she so nearly ended her tennis story.
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“The low point for me was at the middle of the season. It was really bad,” she said.
“Coming from the injury in the beginning you never know what to expect.
“At the beginning of the season, I was okay, but after seeing that I was struggling also with my back, it wasn’t responding well.
“My results weren’t what I was expecting in that moment. So it was really bad. There were moments, especially after Madrid, when I didn’t know what to do.
“In my mind I was thinking, like, maybe I should quit because if I’m not in the highest level, I don’t want to play this sport. I don’t want to be in the ranking I was in that moment. For me, it doesn’t make sense.
“That’s how I am as my personality. So if I’m not on the top or in the best players in the world, I don’t want to play this sport.
“In that moment I was playing really bad and I wasn’t finding the solution, but I had no other option than to be with my team, stick with them, trust the process as we say.
“I think the process was good. I was working well, but I just needed time and patience.
“Also, I needed my back to respond. It came all after I think after the clay court season, before the grass. I started to feel better. You know, you slowly win matches. You start to believe in yourself.
“The most important, that my back was responding really well. After that, I think I lost very close matches there, but the level was there. Well, finally here in the US swing I could prove it. I think all my work paid off.”
